Keep a Daily Journal

Writing in a journal daily and reflecting on what you are thankful for can benefit your mental health and overall well-being.

Benefits of Journaling and Gratitude Reflection

Reduces stress and anxiety: Journaling about your thoughts and feelings can help you manage and reduce stress, as well as decrease the frequency of intrusive, depressive thoughts.
Improves self-awareness: Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you understand your needs and emotions better, leading to greater self-awareness and personal growth.
Enhances emotional well-being: Expressing gratitude in your journal can contribute to increased happiness, optimism, and life satisfaction.
Boosts memory and cognitive function: The practice of writing can enhance the brain’s intake, processing, and retaining of information, as well as promote attentive focus and long-term memory.
Strengthens relationships: Writing letters of gratitude to others can deepen connections and foster positive relationships.
Promotes better sleep: Journaling can help you process the day’s events and clear your mind, leading to improved sleep quality.

My Journal Journey

I started unofficially keeping a journal back in 2012. I did it more as an annual reflection of what I was trying to accomplish, what I was thankful for, what challenged me, my fears and worries, and my successes and dreams. I did this until 2017, and then in 2018, when I was dealing with a lot of work-related stress and anxiety, I switched to something I called a thought journal.

My Journal Journey

The thought journal asked some prompting questions that would help me create journal content.

Describe what was happening when you began to feel this way. Or, what’s going on? What are you thankful about today? What do you want to reflect on?
What are you thinking about? (e.g. ice cream)
What were you thinking about what you were thinking about? (e.g., I want ice cream but shouldn’t be eating it because I’m fat and disgusting, and no one loves it because I am, so why bother? I’ll eat some and show them!)
What was the actual emotion you were feeling? Anxiety is not an emotion; it’s an experience of several emotions, like fear or being out of control. This is also true of depression. You might feel sad, worthless, hopeless, nothing at all…, or numb.
What did you do? What action was generated as a result of your thinking and feeling this way?
What happened before this started, and what was the event you wrote about in number 1?

I really did not like the rigid structure of the thought journal, but its focused approach helped me deal with some of the specific stress I was experiencing.

Tips for Starting and Maintaining a Journaling Habit

The two main challenges of maintaining a daily journal are 1) the discipline of sitting down and writing each day and 2) figuring out something to write about instead of just staring at a computer screen or a notepad. Writer’s block is a thing when you are writing in a journal.

Choose a journaling method: Decide if you prefer a physical notebook or an online journal, and find a format that works for you.
Set a routine: Establish a regular time to journal, whether it’s in the morning, evening, or during a break in your day.
Start small: Begin with just a few minutes of journaling per day and gradually increase the time as it becomes a habit.
Use prompts: Use journal prompts to help guide your writing and reflection, especially when you are unsure what to write about.
Be consistent: Make journaling a daily habit to reap the most benefits.
Be honest: Write openly and honestly about your thoughts and feelings without judgment or self-censorship.
Review your entries: Periodically look back at your journal entries to track your progress and recognize patterns or areas of growth.

Incorporating daily journaling and gratitude reflection into your routine can have a lasting positive impact on your mental health and overall quality of life. By understanding the benefits and following the tips for starting and maintaining a journaling habit, you can create a powerful tool for personal growth and self-improvement.